Thursday, September 25, 2008

No, it's not going to be a post about the Buffy musical episode, as much as I enjoy that! Rather, this is a post to remind everyone out there that the next class is quickly approaching! This one will expand beyond just Whedon (yes, I feel an ever-so-faint sense of betrayal) to use other shows as well in order to explore what it means to be human.

Large topic, so many shows will be used to provide examples. One area that science fiction does such a nice job of exploring is really looking hard at the question, "What does it mean to be human?" In addition, some of the best explorations of that question have come through non-human characters. (Interestingly enough, Whedon's most "sci-fic" show, Firefly, contains no non-human characters - it's a 'verse without aliens.) We'll take a look at shows such as Star Trek, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, as well as some Whedon offerings.

The local paper just ran an article about the class - thanks for commenting, Tucker! - with information about joining the class. You can read it here. The cost is low ($40 gets you six weeks), the class will be a blast (based on past performances; your actual experience may vary) and I look forward to seeing you there! Please - right now, I've been told that enrollment is very low, so if you are itnerested, please call the continuing education department at (704) 484-4015 and sign up. Tell your friends and bring 'em along!

Right now, I'm a little over halfway through my super-fast summer film class. Personally, I would prefer a slower-paced class spread o...

Copyright Notice

Look, I'm flattered if you read something here and like it enough to want to want to rip it off. Or even if you dislike it enough to want to rip it apart. In either case, the content of this blog is mine - I'm responsible for it and you are not to use it without first obtaining permission from me.

Copyright. It's not just a good idea. It's the law.

It really is - see Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution.

K. Dale Koontz

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Who?

K. Dale Koontz may have watched too much television as a child. She learned to count via Sesame Street and first learned that genres could cross-pollinate through M*A*S*H. When she discovered Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the die was cast. In 2008, McFarland published her book Faith and Choice in the Work of Joss Whedon which focused on themes such as redemption, choice, and consequences in Whedon's work up to that point. (She's fairly sure Volume 2 could be written to include Dr. Horrible, Dollhouse, and The Avengers.) She is a founding member of the Whedon Studies Association (a great group of people, but don't mention Twilight. Just sayin'). She has presented original work on the Rossum Corporation in Dollhouse, Kitty Pryde, and Japanese anime. In 2014, she and co-author Ensley F. Guffey worked with ECW Press to publish the critically-acclaimed Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad. Her most recent project was to team again with Ensley and ECW to publish A Dream Given Form, which is the only guide to all the canonical works in the Babylon 5 universe. That book is currently available for preorder and will be released in September of 2017. Dale is available for speaking engagements and only occasionally uses puppets in her presentations.

What?

I have long been interested in storytelling - how we do it, why we do it, and what happens when we mix things up. This interest might be the result of being born and raised in the American South, a region that has long celebrated the involved story over the quick answer. Television - the good stuff, anyway - does this brilliantly. Far from being film's red-headed tacky cousin, good TV lets characters and relationships build slowly and often mixes up genres, so horror is next door to humor and fantasy rubs shoulders with procedurals. This blog focuses on both the "good stuff" being broadcast that catches my fancy (with a special emphasis on Babylon 5, since that's the book that's in the process of being written right now) as well as film. The films are usually new releases being watched for TV19's weekly Meet Me at the Movies, although I reserve the right to veer off into classics and under-appreciated gems as well. Older posts cover what my introduction to film class was up to - currently, I'm not teaching that course, but who knows what the future may hold.